Frome Drama Club Newsletter

November/December 2005

ARE YOU GOING TO AA?

Sorry - that seems rather a personal question, and of course you’re right… it is none of my business. But please, there’s really no shame in it. Almost everyone I speak to seems to be going.

FDC’s publicity campaign, spearheaded by that gorgeous saucy poster (for which MH takes a modest amount of credit) seems to have sparked off an epidemic of ‘Allo ‘Allo fever in the town, and I have lost count of the number of people who have come into the surgery complaining of a heavy French accent. Even our own Lesley Swinburn has come down with a dose:

'Allo 'Allo rehearsals are now in full swing and all ze actors well into zer characters. Rene is doing 'is nut trying to preserve ze painting of the ze Fallen Madonna wiz ze big Boobies and keep it out of ze clutches of Herr Flick and ze ozzer German and Italian officers. 'Owever 'e is not 'elped by Michelle of ze Resistance, ze policeman ('pilosman'), his muzzer-in law, ('it is I' )Le Clerc, or ze radio parrot wiz ze talking bottom. Gillie Richardson is very busy wiz, amongst ozzer zings, disguises for many lookalike 'Itlers and ze director Bob had to make a visit to ze sex shop for a very important prop!

In order to discover what zis is, see Edith perform 'er unforgettable cabaret, how Gruber gets on in 'is leetle tenk and discover what 'appens to ze portrait of ze Fallen Madonna wiz ze Big Boobies you will need to 'urry up and buy your tickets as zey are going like 'ot croissants.

Good Moaning . We shill see you on the note.
LS

Edith (Janet Tanner) and Rene (Kevin Daly) at the White Hart
Midsomer Norton

Rene is having a bad moment!

The Director checks a point with Albero Bertorelli (Peter Stone) and Gruber (David North)

Crabtree (Roger Whitewick) has a go at Le Clerc (Brian Williamson)

Helga (Keely Beresford) admires Herr Flick's profile (Alan Burgess)

Edith's not happy about Rene's behaviour

The fallen Madonna with the big Boobies

Hilary Daniel as the sinister General Von Schmelling

Pictures of the cast of ‘Allo ‘Allo taken by Trixie Collins

Michelle (Gina Buckland) on her way to deliver a message to Rene

Pictures of the cast of ‘Allo ‘Allo taken by Trixie Collins

SPRING PRODUCTION

Philip de Glanville reports:
It looks as though we will be doing John Steinbeck’s classic masterpiece Of Mice & Men towards the end of April, as long as we can cast it.

Plot Overview (lifted from Sparknotes!)
Two migrant workers, George and Lennie, have been let off a bus miles away from the California farm where they are due to start work. George is a small, dark man with “sharp, strong features.” Lennie, his companion, is his opposite, a giant of a man with a “shapeless” face. Overcome with thirst, the two stop in a clearing by a pool and decide to camp for the night. As the two converse, it becomes clear that Lennie has a mild mental disability, and is deeply devoted to George and dependent upon him for protection and guidance. George finds that Lennie, who loves petting soft things but often accidentally kills them, has been carrying and stroking a dead mouse. He angrily throws it away, fearing that Lennie might catch a disease from the dead animal. George complains loudly that his life would be easier without having to care for Lennie, but the reader senses that their friendship and devotion is mutual. He and Lennie share a dream of buying their own piece of land, farming it, and, much to Lennie’s delight, keeping rabbits. George ends the night by treating Lennie to the story he often tells him about what life will be like in such an idyllic place.

The next day, the men report to the nearby ranch. George, fearing how the boss will react to Lennie, insists that he’ll do all the talking. He lies, explaining that they travel together because they are cousins and that a horse kicked Lennie in the head when he was a child. They are hired. They meet Candy, an old “swamper,” or handyman, with a missing hand and an ancient dog, and Curley, the boss’s mean-spirited son. Curley is newly married, possessive of his flirtatious wife, and full of jealous suspicion. Once George and Lennie are alone in the bunkhouse, Curley’s wife appears and flirts with them. Lennie thinks she is “purty,” but George, sensing the trouble that could come from tangling with this woman and her husband, warns Lennie to stay away from her. Soon, the ranch-hands return from the fields for lunch, and George and Lennie meet Slim, the skilled mule driver who wields great authority on the ranch. Slim comments on the rarity of friendship like that between George and Lennie. Carlson, another ranch-hand, suggests that since Slim’s dog has just given birth, they should offer a puppy to Candy and shoot Candy’s old, good-for-nothing dog.

George confides in Slim that he and Lennie are not cousins, but have been friends since childhood. He tells how Lennie has often gotten them into trouble. For instance, they were forced to flee their last job because Lennie tried to touch a woman’s dress and was accused of rape. Slim agrees to give Lennie one of his puppies, and Carlson continues to badger Candy to kill his old dog. When Slim agrees with Carlson, saying that death would be a welcome relief to the suffering animal, Candy gives in. Carlson, before leading the dog outside, promises to do the job painlessly.

Slim goes to the barn to do some work, and Curley, who is maniacally searching for his wife, heads to the barn to accost Slim. Candy overhears George and Lennie discussing their plans to buy land, and offers his life’s savings if they will let him live there too. The three make a pact to let no one else know of their plan. Slim returns to the bunkhouse, berating Curley for his suspicions. Curley, searching for an easy target for his anger, finds Lennie and picks a fight with him. Lennie crushes Curley’s hand in the altercation. Slim warns Curley that if he tries to get George and Lennie fired, he will be the laughingstock of the farm.

The next night, most of the men go to the local brothel. Lennie is left with Crooks, the lonely, black stable-hand, and Candy. Curley’s wife flirts with them, refusing to leave until the other men come home. She notices the cuts on Lennie’s face and suspects that he, and not a piece of machinery as Curley claimed, is responsible for hurting her husband. This thought amuses her. The next day, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy in the barn. Curley’s wife enters and consoles him. She admits that life with Curley is a disappointment, and wishes that she had followed her dream of becoming a movie star. Lennie tells her that he loves petting soft things, and she offers to let him feel her hair. When he grabs too tightly, she cries out. In his attempt to silence her, he accidentally breaks her neck.

Lennie flees back to a pool of the Salinas River that George had designated as a meeting place should either of them get into trouble. As the men back at the ranch discover what has happened and gather together a lynch party, George joins Lennie. Much to Lennie’s surprise, George is not mad at him for doing “a bad thing.” George begins to tell Lennie the story of the farm they will have together. As he describes the rabbits that Lennie will tend, the sound of the approaching lynch party grows louder. George shoots his friend in the back of the head.

This is a wonderful, tragic, uplifting play, written in the 30’s, but timeless in its understanding of humanity. As you will see from the synopsis above, the play requires at least nine male actors of various ages, and one young female, all of whom have to be able to produce convincing Californian accents. Crooks is of course black. Oh, and we also need a very old and docile dog!

Fortunately there seems to be a good number of potential characters who have expressed an interest in recent weeks, and after a short break doing Death & The Maiden with Troupers I am really keen to direct again, confident that this could be something really special for our 60th Anniversary year.

We will be holding a reading, (with a view to casting) on Wednesday 23rd November, at 8pm in The Packhorse.

The final cast will be announced before Christmas. Rehearsals will start in January and will be mainly on Sunday afternoons, at least for all the ensemble pieces. Anyone who would like to have a look at the script prior to the reading should contact me asap on 01373 472997.

PdeG

BACKSTAGE TRAINING DAY

Sadly we had to cancel this, for lack of numbers. Only two established members of the Club expressed any interest, and one had to drop out because of illness. It was particularly disappointing because we had lined up four really good ‘trainers’ and two new people had put their names down, having seen something about it in the Press. It was immensely frustrating that we had nothing to offer them after all.

Is training something Club members want? We do need to know, before we try to arrange anything else. You can e-mail your thoughts on this to Gilly, as Chairman , at gillie.richardson@virgin.net, or to Philip, for publication in our next Newsletter , at pmdeglanville@blueyonder.co.uk. We would love to hear from you, on this or any other FDC-related topic.

CHRISTMAS PARTY

Remember last year’s shindig? The party this year will be upstairs at The Packhorse as usual, on Monday 12th December, from 8pm. The theme will be “strange hair”, and no doubt there will be silly games and a certain amount to eat and drink.

We have nearly 60 members in the Club now – a lot of whom have joined in the past 12 months. Come and get to know them!

THE TALKING NEWS

For many years now members of Frome drama Club have been involved in a regular talking news which is, in effect, a newspaper for the blind. Cassette tapes are delivered to visually impaired people in the Frome area. One one side has been recorded articles from the local paper; on the other side there will be a reading of a short story or a selection of poems or an extract from a novel etc., etc. The running time is about 30 minutes.

FDC is not the only group who contribute regularly to what has become known as "Side 2". This means that our 'turn' comes around every 7/8 weeks. Up to now it has fallen to a very small number of people to find some material and then visit the Frome home of the person who does the recording. Bringing this to the attention of the membership is long overdue and we would welcome volunteers to swell the ranks of "Side 2" readers. Almost certainly, our listeners would appreciate hearing some different voices for a change! If you are interested then let me know either by phone (01373 452247) or email me at m.hoskinson@virgin.net.
MH

PLAYREADINGS

First up after the summer break was ‘Season’s Greetings’ by Alan Ayckbourn. This is a wonderful play and some may recall it as a Frome Drama Club production back in about 1993. Michael was the director and it was his choice for the September reading. However, on the night he disappeared off to work in London leaving yours truly to take the helm.

A good number turned up – no new faces but a fair few of the usual suspects! The great thing about about vintage Ayckbourn is how it comes off the page so brilliantly. By the middle of the first page the giggling started and it didn’t stop until the last line of the play. Thanks to all who came along – except Michael, who didn’t!

For October we entered the dark world of melodrama with a reading of ‘The Murder of Maria Marten or The Red Barn’. Again, this was an old favourite which the club performed in the late 80’s and some of us (callow youths and mere gels at the time, don’t you know!) remember with great fondness. David Holt was an extremely dastardly Corder and I still laugh when recalling Roger Whitewick’s hilarious Tim Bobbin. This play has a cast of five men and nine women. For our reading in the Packhorse, we did not manage to muster quite that size but at least the women did outnumber the men!

These play readings are very social occasions when members and newcomers can chat over a drink and then enjoy a relaxed reading of the chosen play. They provide opportunities for trying out plays with a view to production and, sometimes, they can be used as an initial casting – see details for “Of Mice and Men” – November’s choice.

It would be refreshing to see more members come along. Reading is optional for those who would prefer to put in an appearance, grab a pint and just listen.
GR Chairman

IS THERE A PLAY WHICH YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE READ AT ONE OF OUR PLAY READINGS ? IF SO, WHY NOT GET IN TOUCH AND MAKE YOUR SUGGESTION FOR A PLAY READING IN THE NEW YEAR.

FDC Programme

Thurs 10th – Sat 12th Nov
Autumn Production:
‘Allo ‘Allo
Merlin Theatre 7.45pm

Wednesday 23rd November
Playreading/audition
John Steinbeck’s
Of Mice & Men
The Packhorse, 8pm
All welcome!

Monday 12th December
CHRISTMAS PARTY:
‘Strange Hair’
The Packhorse, 8pm
Come and let your’s down.
All welcome; bring friends!